Review #717: The Wild Folk by Sylvia Linsteadt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”

----Alan W. Watts

Sylvia Linsteadt, an American author, has penned an incredibly beguiling fantasy novel, The Wild Folk that centers around an enchanting land filled with the power of magical star-gold that can the divided city prosper with wealth and health, where two young kids accompanied by two young hares, must save their land and its dwellers from getting ruined by the Brothers from the city, who are hell-bound to destroy everything beyond the walls of the city that was once pulled up to save the humans from the wild folks and the diseases. Two kids and two hare embark upon a deadly journey through the villages and forests of the land of wild folk to save it.


Synopsis:

When the Star-Priest Brotherhood from the City threaten to ravage and destroy the land of the Wild Folk, their only hope rests with two young hares and their human companions – Tin, an orphan City boy with a passion for invention, and curious Country girl Comfrey. In this magical quest, to protect the precious stargold that runs through the land, Tin and Comfrey must complete seemingly impossible tasks set by the mysterious and terrifying Wild Folk - each stranger than the last - to find the one who holds the secret to saving their world.

The Wild Folk is a timeless adventure, weaving fantasy and folk lore into an enchanting tale that will fill you with wonder. The first in a duology, with a dash of Ursula Le Guin, a pinch of Frances Hardinge, and a generous helping from C.S. Lewis, this is a future classic, filled with unforgettable and diverse characters, and a story to be read time and again.


Tin longs to escape the city walls beyond which lies the magical land of Wild Folk, while Comfrey longs to walk and run beyond boundary of the forest in her village. Both of their wishes come true, when two young leverets are sent their way to guide them to save the land of Farallone which is in danger under the hands of the Brothers of the city of New Albion, from where Tin belongs. Together tin and Comfrey must make their own brave choices to save the land along with the guidance of the mysterious wild folk, among whom, some wants to help this unusual pair of children and leverets, while some want to distract the human kids from their mission. But ultimately can they save this land of magic and stargold which the Brothers from the city are desperate to get their hands into, even if that means destroying the lives of Wild folk?

A really fascinating tale spinning over a quest of two kids trying to save their homeland from being destroyed amidst of challenges and struggles through the village of Olima and many more with the help of strange wild folk and two young leverets. This story is filled with so many twists and turns and many layers and elements that will keep the readers constantly on their edges to find out more. With a perfect set of young voices, this is a must read book for every adventure loving soul, be it young or old. This book can be enjoyed by any age group of reader.

The writing style of the author is really coherent, laced with many layers to keep the readers engaged into the story line. The dialogues are interesting and the author have strikingly captured the voices of the young characters with enough realism to make the readers believe in their journey. The pacing is bit slow in the beginning, but gradually the story picks up pace, as the author unravels the story with a nail biting journey of two young kids through the forests and villages.

The characters in the book are very well developed with both flaws and strong aspects to make them look relatable in the eyes of the readers. The young heroes is the book has a solid voice, that will be often inspiring enough for the young readers of this book. Not only that, the young characters preach kindness, courage, wisdom and humbleness beside unity and harmony through their demeanor. Not only that, the supporting characters too are sketched out by the author in an interesting manner.

In a nutshell, this captivating, adventurous story is a must read for every young kid who dreams of saving the world with their wit and wisdom.

Verdict: An engrossing read filled with adventures and mystery.

Courtesy: Thanks to the publishers from Usborne for giving me an opportunity to read and review for this book.
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Author Info:
Sylvia V. Linsteadt is a writer, artist, and certified animal tracker. Her books include Tatterdemalion, (Unbound, Spring 2017), a novel, and The Wonderments of the East Bay (Heyday 2014), and Lost Worlds of the San Francisco Bay Area (Heyday, Spring 2017), both works of nonfiction.
For three years (from 2013 to 2016) Sylvia ran a stories-in-the-mail business called Wild Talewort, in which she sent out rewilded tellings of fairytales and myths to the physical-post boxes of hundreds of subscribers around the world.
Sylvia grew up reading and writing about old magics at the base of Mount Tamalpais, north of San Francisco. She currently lives on the Point Reyes Peninsula, a bit of the Pacific Plate temporarily riding alongside the North American, in the bishop pine wood.
Visit her here



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